Home
Travel
Active Lifestyle
Style
Gear
Wheels & Wings
Food & Drink
Properties
Health & Fitness
People
Giving Back
Events
First Person
Timepieces
Resources
Advertisement
MOST POPULAR
Best Skiing Destinations Print E-mail
Page 2 of 6


Skiing’s Grande Dame
MEGÈVE, FRANCE

Megeve's Chalet Cashmere
Megève's Chalet Cashmere. Photo by Frédéric Ducout
Horse-drawn sleighs run roughshod through the center of this car-free, thousand-year-old village, an hour’s drive southeast of Geneva. The clapboard chalets lining the cobblestone streets might seem rustic, but don’t let the exterior fool you: Megève is where the Saudi Royal family and most of London’s banking establishment ski. (The Rothschilds have been vacationing here since 1916.) Most of the hamlet’s forties-era chalets have been renovated into state-of-the-art vacation palaces on the inside. And the pistes are a quick stroll away.

Snow Report
Megève tops out at 8,000 feet, and the advanced-intermediate terrain is cut through trees and pastures. (There are still 60 operating farms in Megève, after all.) If you want steeps—and cliffs—head to the other side of Mont Joly, to the east of town, but be sure to go with a guide. As part of  Espace Mont Blanc, a partnership with six neighboring ski areas, Megève has access to 107 lifts and 277 miles of skiable terrain (one-day Evasion Mont Blanc pass: $48; skiamegeve.com).

Go for It
In Megève, one quick adventure is ski mountaineering to Refuge de Porcherey, an old hut off the Épaule chairlift, about a three-hour tour. The family-run restaurant serves old-school French fare like rabbit stew. Minnesota native Mike Beaudet, a former Vail ski instructor who moved to Megève in 1999, will customize an ultimate Alps ski week, incorporating resorts like Courmayeur and Cervinia (prices vary; skiprosmegeve.com). For world-class ice climbing, drive a half-hour northeast to Chamonix.

Lodging
Five minutes from the pedestrian zone and a thousand feet from the Grands Champs lift, Chalet Cashmere sleeps ten and has a white-on-white living room, two suites, a wellness center with a steam room and gym, and an outdoor hot tub (weekly rates for up to ten skiers from $13,450; chalet-cashmere.com). With a chef, chalet manager, and housekeeper, all you need to do is eat, sleep, drink, and ski. While you’re carving it up off-piste in the shadow of Mont Blanc, your private chef will likely be arranging a platter of Reblochon, Tomme de Savoie, and Beaufort cheeses he bought from a local farmer and retrieving a bottle of Krug Champagne from the cellar.

Après
There’s nothing better than sitting on the terrace at the downtown brasserie Le Puck, sipping a chocolat chaud. Emmanuel Renaut’s new restaurant, Flocons de Sel, is a converted farmhouse considered the best dining in town.

Get Going
Ski-Europe.com can arrange flights from the U.S., transfers to a private airport near Megève, lodging, concierge services, meals, and lift passes.


<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next > End >>
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]